The Society are arranging a trip in March this year for Society Members and their guests to Northern Morocco where we will visit Chefchaouen, the Roman ruins of Volubilis, the Imperial cities of Meknes and Fez and the international city of Tangier.

The itinerary is as follows:-
Day 1

Embark on the 9.00am fast ferry from Algeciras to Tangier Med where our Guide and transport will be waiting to whisk us through the Rif Mountains to the spectacular town of Chefchaouen, known as the Blue Village, which is probably the most picturesque village in all of Morocco. En route, overlooking an azure lake/reservoir, we will take a 20 minute comfort stop. We continue the short drive arriving in Chefchaouen and, as we drive to the topmost part of the town, you will see the local women wash their clothes and carpets in the fast flowing stream, the pure mountain water which cascades down, feeds the town with all their requirements for drinking and washing. You will be able to take a leisurely stroll down through small streets and alleyways crammed with tiny shops filled with local artisan works, heading on down to the main square which is the centre of the town. On one side of the square is the fourteenth century Kasbah and mosque rising above all the other buildings in the town. On the other three sides are small restaurants and cafes where the owners or assistants invite you in to taste their freshly cooked food, washed down with an iced drink.

 After lunch we will leave for the next phase of our journey, driving south through fertile plains to the ruins of Volubilis, once the capital of Roman Mauritania. The site is Morocco’s answer to Pompeii, it is the finest architectural Roman site in all of Morocco and equals any of the more famous Roman North African ruins that can be seen in Tunisia, Algeria or Lydia. Stroll round the well preserved basilica, columns of a Capitoline temple, a series of mosaic floored villas and streets once filled with shops and villas, now deserted lying dormant for almost two thousand years. The last leg of our journey takes us to the imperial city of Fez where we will spend the next two nights. Dinner will be taken in the hotel.

Day 2

After breakfast we start with a panoramic tour of this amazing Medieval Islamic City with our local guide. Fez was founded in the 9th Century as the capital of the first Muslim Kingdom of Morocco. The city grew in wealth and remained the religious and cultural centre of Morocco. Our tour will start at the Royal Palace that was founded after the Jews left Spain at the time of the Inquisition in the fifteenth century. Walk around some of the 964 alleyways where you can buy anything from an apple to a camel, an ashtray to a canteen of silver cutlery. The university is the oldest in the world, dating from AD 850. It’s origins lie in the teaching of the Koran just as Christian universities coalesced out of Monastery and Cathedral schools in Western Europe. We visit a Medersas (an Islamic school) which is open to non-Muslims. Mosques and other religious buildings in Morocco remain inaccessible to Infidels (non believers).  After lunch we visit The Tanneries that are worked by master specialists and apprentices in co-operative guilds. The smell is overwhelming, but a sprig of fresh mint is offered to everyone on entry (it is advisable to take advantage of their gift). A glass of wine will be most welcome on your return to the hotel before dinner and overnight stay.

Day 3

We leave Fez after breakfast and in less than one hour driving through the rich agricultural region where olives, grain and grapes are grown by the predominantly Berber farmers, we reach the imperial city of Meknes. It was once the capital of 16th century Morocco, ruled over by the despotic Sultan Moulay Ismail. The Medina surrounded by over 25 Kms of massive turreted walls contains the Royal Palace, the Royal stables, the underground Slave pens and the Mausoleum of Moulay Ismail. There will be time to drink a cup of coffee or mint tea overlooking the bustling main square and the Bab Mansour (the main gate to the Imperial City) before we head back to the International city of Tangier and our hotel.  Dinner will be at the historic Hotel Continental overlooking the Port where the Duke and Duchess of Windsor stayed in the 1930s.

Day 4

After a leisurely breakfast we leave for a full day’s excursion of Tangier, starting with Cap Spartel (which is the most northerly point of Africa) situated only 5 Kms from the centre of Tangier.  It is where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, then on to the caves of Hercules. Returning to Tangier we start in the Kasbah and walk in the footsteps of Matisse, Gertrude Stein, Barbara Hutton, Malcolm Forbes and many other expatriates who lived in this vibrant international city.  Tangier was divided up into different countries quarters, for example there were the English, French, Italian, American and Spanish areas, all with slightly different architecture. Lunch is in the restaurant Hamidi (alcohol is served) and be entertained with in-house musicians and, if we are lucky, a belly dancer. The afternoon is free for you to wander around or have a hammam and perhaps a massage. Meet in the bar before your last dinner in Morocco in the hotel.

Day 5

We leave Tangier after breakfast for the 45 min journey to the coastal town of Asilah which was founded over 2,800 years ago by the Phoenicians, but today it is known by tourists for its fine sandy beaches and fishing industry. Take a stroll around the battlements, built by the Portuguese over 600 years ago. Please have your cameras/iPads/iPhones ready as around every corner there will be a photo opportunity waiting for you.  Asilah has been the backdrop for many movies over the last few years. Lunch will be arranged in Restaurant La Place which is only a few metres away from the harbour guaranteeing the freshest of fish (their baby sole can be recommended). After lunch we drive straight back to the port of Tangier Med for the return fast ferry (hydrofoil) to Algeciras.

Please contact us on gibraltar@theartssociety.org if you are interested in joining  with us on this amazing journey.